Track-rail brace.



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, TRACK RAIL BRAGE.

mummm 3% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIE B. SNODGRASS, OF CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS.

TRACK-RAIL BRAoE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIE B. SNODGRASS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Corpus Christi, in the county of Nueces and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Track-Rail Braces, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for connecting together and bracing the rails of a track to prevent spreading of the rails.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and practical connecting member or brace of this character which may be readily applied to the track between two ordinary cross ties without removing the latter or the rails, or which may be readily substituted for an ordinary cross tie.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel features of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a plan view of a railway track showing two of the improved braces or connecting bars applied to the track rails; Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical cross sections taken, respectively, on the planes indicated by the lines 22 and 33 in Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a detail perspective of one of the track rail bracing blocks.

In the drawings 1 denotes a track rail secured to ordinary wooden cross ties 2 and 3 denotes my improved braces or connecting bars which may be used either between two cross ties as they are ordinarily placed and without removing them or otherwise disturbing the track rails, as shown to the right in Fig. 1; or which may be substituted for one of the cross ties as shown to the left in said Fig. 1. Each of the braces 3 consists of a rectangular metal bar to extend beneath and across the track rails and formed in its upper face at suitable points from its ends with transverse recesses or seats 4 for the base flanges of the rails. On the upper face of the brace bar 3 at its ends are formed intogral lugs or projections 5, the inner transverse faces of which are undercut, as shown at 6, to receive the angular or beveled outer ends 7 of blocks 8 which serve to brace and support the track rails.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 16, 1909.

Patented June 15 1909.

Serial No. 472,747.

The inner ends of the blocks 8 are shaped to fit against the webs of the rails, the upper faces of the outer base flanges of the same and the bottom faces of the heads of the rails, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, so that they will effectively support and brace the rails to prevent them from spreading The blocks 8 are retained upon the cross bar 3 by bolts 9 passed vertically through alining openings in said blocks and bar. While the blocks 8 also serve to retain the track rails in their seats 4 in the cross bar, the latter is also accomplished by bolts 10 which pass vertically through openings in the cross bar 3 and have flat angularly bent heads 11 which rest upon the upper faces of the inner base flanges of the track rails, as seen in Figs. 1 and 3.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention provides an exceedingly simple and practical connecting member or brace which may be used for uniting two track rails to prevent them from spreading and which is especially adapted for temporary use at points where the track has become weakened, since it may be applied to the rails between ordinary cross ties without removing the latter and without loosening the rails. The invention may also be used in place of the ordinary cross ties and may be substituted for one of them when it becomes rotten or damaged and must be replaced.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

The hereindescribed connecting brace for track rails comprising a rectangular body formed in its flat upper face with transverse grooves to receive the base flanges of the track rails, with vertical openings adjacent the inner sides of said seats, with vertical openings arranged between the ends of the body and the outer edges of said seats, and with upwardly projecting integral lugs at its ends, said lugs having their inner faces beveled downwardly and inwardly, rail bracing blocks having their inner ends shaped to engage the web and base flanges of the track rails and their outer ends tapered downwardly and outwardly and beveled to engage the beveled or undercut inner faces of said lugs, said blocks being formed with vertical openings to register with the last mentioned vertical openings in the body, bolts passed through said registering vertical openings to secure the blocks to the body, and bolts passed through the other vertical openings in the body and having their upper ends bent l Intestimony whereof I hereunto aflix my fingulgrly andferilargerll t0 Engage the1 inner L signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ase anges 0 tie rai s an retain t em in the seats in the body, an of said bolts having WILLIE B SNODGRASS- their threaded ends projecting below the bot- Vitnesses:

tom of the body and provided with retaining l HENRY KELLER,

nuts, substantially as described. L W. E. OAROTHERS. 

